NYK—mag 0225
02 Namdori;
reflections on Sound, Identity & Space
Song recommendation:
Kiberit - Blinky Bill, Shauna Fung Yee, Jovie Jovv
What's your relationship with electronic music, and what sub-genres do you feel mostly drawn towards lately?
My relationship with electronic music is a funny one, and quite a new one. I only started exploring electronic music when I started dj'ing, like 3 years ago I think. At that time Afrobeats was taking over my personal playlists, and electronic music was merely 'oontz oontz' white people music. However, my journey dj'ing started with Afro-house, to melodic techno subgenres of electronic music. I guess somewhere along the way I found a way to connect to the ‘oontz oontz’, or more precisely, electronic music that spoke to my soul.
Do you remember a moment or a space where a specific sound really clicked for you?
This happens way too often: hearing a song, it speaks to me on a molecular level, getting chills, and making the stank face. Hearing house music, but from Enoo Napa, Caiiro, Hyenah, I connected to it in a way that didn't feel superficial, like these guys had a message and emotions that I could relate to. The message didn't even have to come in lyrical form, but just the way the different musical elements worked together in the beat. For example, with Hyenah's 3rd eye, it was the synths that drove me nuts, and hearing these synths mixed with Belma Belma Cuebur & Vanco remix was an 'aha' moment in my mixing journey. These sounds resonated with the dance floor atmosphere I wanted to create, based on the very little experience I had at that time, on an electronic dance floor; an electronic, rhythmic, sexy, melodic, and most importantly non - monotonous soundscape.
Do you think that your cultural background and heritage shape the way you connect with music? — if so, in what way?
I've been listening to and connected with music for as long as I can remember. Despite growing up in Tanzania, my musical influences were heavily American; whatever my mama had burnt on her CDs labelled A-Z, or from whatever was on TRACE and MTV. I am also the second generation post-colonisation, and my upbringing reflected this shift that occurred; that our tribal way of living was primitive, and the Western way was more modern. It wasn't a choice, but a brainwash that occurred, so apart from the Sukuma greetings I have memorised but can't translate, the Sukuma weddings with the songs I don't understand, what is my culture and how did they connect to music? The body and the DNA doesn't forget though. I hope these chills I feel as I explore different Afro electronic sub genres, are a little sign from my ancestors, reclaiming all the African that is in me and hungry to be expressed.
Do you consider certain sounds or musical traditions as sacred? — how so?
Not really, but this may be due to my super western influences. I believe, though, the way we treat music as DJs should be sacred. Sacred I mean, you know where your shit comes from, you know the sub genres. It just pisses me off when all African music is categorised as Afrobeats. I think it's sacred to respect the genres, and know the story of the genres, especially because a lot of these sub genres are movements of liberation.
Have you ever felt like you had to “adjust” your sound to fit a certain crowd or venue? What’s that experience like?
I think in the early stages of my journey with the melodic house + peak techno phase, it was definitely me trying to fit in with the scene and some of my friends. Don't get me wrong, I can vibe with those genres, but they certainly don't need more representation in the dj scene in Aarhus, in my opinion. There are enough djs out there doing that. I started dj'ing cause I wanted to create dancefloors that I was missing, and adjusting my sound and expression felt super contradictory to my mission. I want to shake ass, not sway side to side.
What would you want listeners to know or feel when they hear your DJ set?
I want you to feel like you *can* dance. I want you to feel sexy as you dance. I want you to forget, to remember, to feel one with the dancefloor, with others, with the music, with me. Also, I rarely play AFROBEATS!
What keeps you inspired to keep playing the music you do? And what do you hope the future holds for Afro-house and its communities?
The feeling I get when I know I’ve delivered a good set is what keeps me inspired. I’m also learning to not limit my exploration of genres and find inspiration in whatever gets my ears standing; from Afro House, Gqom, Kuduro to African diaspora through Baile Funk. Also recently found out I’m a mean Hip Hop dj too.
I hope more Tanzanians can begin to enjoy Afro-electronic subgenres. The cultural collectives are starting to pop up in Dar es Salaam (Midimu, Altær, Kasa's House), offering alternative music genres and experiences to Dar es Salaam and moving away from the usual mainstream clubbing experiences. I hope they only continue to flourish and create more space, especially safe spaces with room for inclusivity, for those who are so dearly missing them in Dar es Salaam.
Also, shout out to Singeli! A high-energy, 180+ bpm subgenre of electronic music from Tanzania.
Final question; what's a song you'd like to recommend right now?
Kiberit - Blinky Bill, Shauna Fung Yee, Jovie Jovv